Tag Archives: lead generation

This is a giving and joyous time of year…and there is excitement in the air … anticipating a New Year and what marketing will hold!

In this season of giving, it comes to mind that successful lead generation is also really about just that…GIVING. Giving and helping our target audience is key to successfully generating leads. Prospects are naturally attracted when they sense the spirit of giving. They open up and listen. Start giving…bits of helpful information, tidbits and tips, shortcuts and highlights…

But… rest assured… we want to make one quick statement… Do NOT give away your services… Prospects expect to pay for valuable services. Not only will you hurt yourself by giving away services, but you will hurt your entire industry. Just attract your prospects with gifts that help them. This will help you in return!

May you and your family have a wonderful Christmas holiday! We looking forward to connecting with you again after the first of the year!

In the meantime, if you need us, please feel free to email us.

Did you get our FREE e-paper – 10 Marketing Steps for 2012?! Go here to get it:

Putting together a marketing plan for the year is critical in successful lead generation. Hopefully these tips will help you jump-start your plan.

The e-paper will help you zero in on how to approach good prospects and turn them into clients. Some of these tips have been detailed in our blog during the last few months. However, there are many that have not yet been covered.

We were discussing the use of surveys for successful lead generation. Wording your questions properly and putting them in a specific order is important.

Here are some hints on creating successful surveys (studies):

1.) Keep the survey/study to 10 – 14 questions which take less than 3 minutes to answer.

2.) The first question needs to be a “lead in question.” It should be a natural progression to what was said or written before. If possible, it is best if it is a “yes/no” question with the natural answer to be “yes.” The prospect should not have to think long or hard to answer it.

3.) The second, third and fourth questions should also be easy ones for the prospect to answer. They should in no way seem “nosy” or “sales-y.” If they require a “yes/no” answer, it is best if 90% of the time the answer is “yes.” Starting a survey/study off with a “no” is not good.

If these questions are not “yes/no” questions, it is best to make them multiple-choice. This keeps the prospect from having to think too hard, but giving them choices will engage them. Getting them engaged early in the survey is key. Engagement happens when they feel “good” about answering the questions… so taking the “research” approach most often works best – with some general questions about the purpose of the study.

At least by the third or fourth question, you should begin to feel comfortable asking questions that directly relate to your need of finding out information that will help you determine whether or not this prospect is a good prospect for you.

4.) The next five – seven questions should relate directly to uncovering pains, determining if/how you might be able to help the prospect. But, they need to be worded in a way that you don’t seem like a salesperson. TRULY, you are trying to determine if how you can help.

5.) The final questions should help close in on level of interest… they might be:

– If there would be solution to ___________ – over the next two weeks – would you have 15 minutes to discuss this?

– Assuming there would be a system that would solve some or all of ________________, how much would it be worth to you? Could you budget… (Give multiple choice ranges of $ amounts for budget)

– Ok, I’ll will pass this information along to the research team. If they have a couple more quick questions or if someone sees there is a potential fit, in the next few days, would it be ok if they give you a quick jingle?

– Would you possibly be interested in taking 15 – 20 minutes to see a demo/webinar that shows how a system might benefit a _____________ such as yours?

These are some ideas… the important thing to remember is to be very careful not to come across as a salesperson. Think about how you would like to be surveyed if you were in the prospects shoes. The other important things is… get in the frame of mind that you truly are looking to help and to do that you are uncovering needs.

Once you have a good list of potential prospects, it is critical to learn as much as possible about them so that you can help them.

Think about it… If you know what their pains, problems, concerns, and issues are in the area of your expertise… how easy would it be to put together a plan to show them the value of your product or service.

The quickest and best way to get this information is to launch a B2B lead generation tele-marketing research campaign. If you sell a product or service that can be sold nationally or regional, that is all the better.

Develop a survey that fits your target market and will provide valuable information… not only to you but also to your target audience.

In developing the survey questions, your first few questions should be a very easy-answer (preferably a “yes”). It should be something non-threatening, almost a “no-brainer,” and it should allow you to establish a good rapport with the prospect.

Next, ask some questions that will help you “segment” the prospect into areas so that you know which level/tier of your product/service that might best fit them.

Next, outline 3 – 4 benefits/solutions that your product/service provides and zero in on the specific “pains” it solves.

Then, ask a question for each pain, maybe have them rate their pain on a scale of 1 – 5. If possible create questions that are easily understood and use the “jargon” of your target audience.

Finally, the last question should ask their level of interest in a solution to some or all of these pains. Wording is critical here…

In my next few posts, I plan to delve into ways to get the survey to your prospects, the wording of the survey questions, and the script. Ultimately, though, you want to have 14 or less questions in the survey. It should only take 1 to 2 1/2 minutes if possible, unless you have a way for them to interact visually.

Being authentic and genuinely interested in helping them find solutions to their problems is very key. Surveying them can help accomplish this!

Depending on your product or service, the contact title can be very critical. Being specific can make your campaign much more productive and profitable.

Also, request for the list in electronic format (ie .csv or .xls). Getting it in .csv format will allow you to import the contacts into pretty much any spreadsheet or contact management software which will make for a much easier campaign.

The software system you use can also be very important to the success of your lead generation program. We can help you with some of the pros and cons of many systems.

For any B2B Lead Generation program, it is critical to know the specific person or company type that you need. Think in terms of industry type, company size, position(s) within the company, personality type, annual sales volume of the company, and multi or single locations.

Ask yourself these questions:

1.) Who needs my product/service?

2.) Who knows they need what I am offering?

3.) Who realizes the value in hiring an expert for my service?

The answer to these questions might be a perfect fit for your particular product or service. Try to build a “persona” around the ideal prospect you want.

Then, take that persona and create a list. Your list can come from companies you already know, from online searches, and/or from a list company.

In today’s market, it is not difficult to get a list created around your “persona” or criteria. You can search online for “mailing list” and you will get thousands of results.

However, be careful as some of these companies are not reputable. Find out if they keep their lists current and clean and/or if they have statistics on their “return” rates. Look for reviews online and see what others are saying about them.

Knowing your target and then getting a good list is critical to any B2B lead generation campaign.

If you need help creating your “persona” or finding a list, feel free to call us at (815) 692-3710 or email us here.

In my previous blog article, I said that one of the basic steps in successful lead generation is “Identify the specific product/service that you are marketing.”

This may seem like an obvious thing. But, it isn’t.

You may think you know exactly what you are marketing. The key is can you explain it in 30-seconds or less? AND, do others correctly interpret what you are saying?

If someone asks you, “What is it that you do?” Or, “What are you selling?” Do you have a powerful message that explicitly states the benefits to anyone remotely interested in a short amount of time? Some call this your “unique selling proposition” (USP) or “value proposition.”

Take the time to write out your USP and ask 10 people (preferably people who don’t know you on a professional level) if you could rehearse to them and see if they could tell you in their own words what you do or what you sell. If you are satisfied with their response, then you are well on your way to generating quality leads!

If you really want to test your USP, approach 10 strangers (who might be in your target audience) who have no idea what you do and ask them the same thing. It is critical that you have a pretty good start to developing your USP before you attempt this.

Just realize… if it goes well, you may win some new clients!

As a rainbow is a symbol of promise… a well-developed USP is a good start to a promising business!

Happy New Year! Here we are already at the end of 2011! Ready for a fresh start to a brand-new year.

Is lead generation at the top of your list? Let’s make it exciting! Here are some quick tips for January:

– Read our recent blog posts to see how to make lead generation productive and fun.

– Make getting email addresses a key part of lead generation. Nurture your prospects by emailing them valuable information that speaks to their pains. If someone is remotely interested in your service now, who knows how quickly they may become a client.

– Truly want to help people… be real and become a problem solver for those who you touch.

– Set a plan in motion now (our previous posts may help you). It doesn’t take as much as you think! Just decide to talk to, contact, or email 3 to 6 prospects each day.

Wishing you and your family a safe and happy New Year! Will be in touch again in 2012!

A website is a critical part of a company’s marketing plan. It is also an important part of a B2B lead generation program.

Let’s talk about some blunders that could hinder the effectiveness of a website:

1.) Too much emphasis on the graphics and the “look” of the site instead of the content. When someone surfs the web from a businesses perspective, what are they typically looking for? Information… valuable, helpful, remarkable information. Most people don’t want to see a bunch of pictures flashing on the site. Many don’t even pay much attention to the graphics because they are looking for the answer for which they are searching.

2.) Unprofessional image – On the other extreme, some websites are totally unprofessional. They use poor graphics, unprofessional fonts, poor grammar and punctuation, and are unorganized. An effective site is clean, easily read, and understood by at least a 7th grade level.

3.) Failing to engage the visitor immediately on the home page. – Engage your visitor immediately on the home page. Don’t spend a lot of “web real estate” talking about your company or yourself. Try to answer questions that your target audience would be asking. Draw them to watch a video or listen to an audio. Create remarkable content that will engage them immediately.

4.) No simple call to action in immediate “eye view” on the page – Once you have engaged your visitor with great content, be sure to offer a call to action. Give them a reason to download a whitepaper or an ebook. Allow your content to catch their attention to the point that they want more… give them the opportunity to easily request it.

5.) No Blog – Blogs are what drives search engine traffic. Search engines are getting very smart in knowing what is remarkable content. Blogs are the best forum to offer that and thereby drive traffic to your site.

6.) Difficult navigation – Make navigation easy on your site. Don’t make your visitors click multiple times to reach their goals. One click navigation usually gets the best results.

7.) No capturing of information for future follow up. – Capturing your visitors’ contact information is critical to effective marketing. Keep the required fields to a minimum (ie email address and first name). Follow up nicely… surprise them with a bonus… get their attention!

Want to learn how to write a blog? Need some tips of structuring your home page? Feel free to email us!